


if ever I feel better

by lazulisong



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2014-07-22
Packaged: 2018-02-09 22:21:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2000106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazulisong/pseuds/lazulisong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For once in his life, Steve has managed to time the day where he's still too weak to object to being spoiled but not so weak and sick that he's scaring the devil out of Bucky to line up with a day that Bucky can stay home and spoil him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	if ever I feel better

**Author's Note:**

  * For [waldorph](https://archiveofourown.org/users/waldorph/gifts).



> For waldorph because we both hate Brock-pologists and her dash had more than usual yesterday. This as usual took a village despite it's length; thanks to verity for listening to me bitch on IM and Amanda for proposing that he be a shoe salesman...and also listening to me whine.... and for various people on Tumblr and Twitter suggesting things....and listening to me whine....

This is the part that Bucky likes: he's successfully detected the symptoms of that stupid punk Steve trying to hide a cold from him; lived through a week of Steve denying that Bucky has realized that he (Steve) has caught a cold; been called from the shoe store to collect Steve and bear him home to the tender mercies of his (Bucky's) loving nursing; and spent a further week hovering grimly over his bedside waiting to see if Steve was gonna do the thing where Bucky hauled him semi-conscious to the hospital, or the thing where he slept for twelve hours and woke up with a nasty temper and tried to get out of bed because he was completely better now, really, he was. Steve was at the stage after he tried to get out of bed and went all pale and shaky and decided that maybe he'd better sit down for a second. For now, about ten seconds, he was quiet and pliable, for certain values of Steve. 

This time, for instance, Steve has for once managed to time his recovery for a day Bucky has off from the shoe store, after he spent the past week making Bucky leave him and come back home and creep quietly to the bedroom, heart in his mouth lest this be the day he comes home to Steve lying quiet at last. Bucky intends to make the most of it. 

"You should do something nice," says Steve, so tired his words slur. "'M better now. You could go out and get a drink or somethin'. Have a date tonight."

Bucky just stares at him until Steve drops his eyes. He's not gonna get used to the way that Steve backs down when he's tired and pliant like this, but it's kind of nice for a change. "I am doing something nice," he says. He finishes changing the sheets, wraps up the old sheets in a careless bunch, and throws them toward the hamper. They'll add to their laundry bill this week but they smell of fever sweat.

Steve is stripped to his skivvies, bundled up in their three raggedly blankets and the knitted afghan from Mrs O'Sullivan across the hall, kitten-weak and unhappy about it. "What am I supposed to wear?" he says peevishly. "You put all my pajamas in with the laundry." 

Bucky opens a drawer and pulls out one of his own pajama tops. Steve sighs. Steve hates wearing Bucky's pajamas because they are so large on him that they fall almost half way to his knees and drown him in fabric. Bucky loves Steve wearing his pajama tops, because the collars slip half off his shoulders and the sleeves pool in folds over Steve's wrists like the fabric in the paintings Steve loves. Bucky's only a man. A red blooded man, with needs. He wishes he could convince Steve that it would be cheapest -- or best -- or something -- to buy one pair of pajamas for the both of them, and for Steve to wear the top and Bucky the bottoms. He's tried before, but Steve just stared at him with flat eyes like he doubts the purity of his motives. It makes Bucky very sad. "Fine," says Steve. "You'd better get the laundry down to Mr. Lee tomorrow, though."

Steve suffers through being buttoned into the pajama top with no more than a slight pout. Bucky wants to lean down and close his teeth around Steve's lower lip, not hard, just a little nip where it looked so full and sweet. Later. Later, when Steve can blush up to his ears and down to his chest, and bite Bucky back. He'll push Bucky away, half laughing, that blush of his spreading out like dawn showing over the city. Bucky will curl in close, coax him near, kiss his dear clavicle and wrap his hand in his own, pull Steve's hand up to nuzzle into his palm. But later. 

"Bucky," complains Steve, as Bucky carefully pulls the blankets down again, arranges the fluffed pillows just so, and then lifts Steve and the blankets wrapped around him in his arms, all the precious slight weight of him, and tucks him back into the bed. 

"Shh," says Bucky. He's pretty pleased with the world right now, and he means to enjoy it while it lasts.

"Ugh, you're the worst," says Steve, and Bucky can't help but lean down and kiss him then, just long enough that Steve parts his lips with a sigh. He pulls away and Steve tries to untangle his hand from the blanket and grab his hair. "No, don't stop, asshole, I want another kiss."

"After your nap," says Bucky. Steve lies back down with another pout, a more obvious one that is meant to tempt Bucky to nipping at it for real. Steve thinks he's subtle but Bucky knows his tricks. He stands up and goes to their unstable bookshelf and picks up his latest library book; a good one about advances in mechanics in the past five years. When he turns back Steve has managed to pull his hand out of the blankets and flipped them down in silent invitation.

Bucky shakes his head and puts his book on the floor beside the bed. "Punk," he says. He strips quickly out of his shirt and pants and belt, leaving his undershirt on, and pulls his pajama pants on. He flips the covers back up over Steve. "I'm not gonna sleep for a while," he says. "Someone's got to make your lazy ass dinner."

Steve tries to pout again, but he's still very tired and it cracks into a yawn almost immediately. "Stay here," he says, slow and sleepy.

Bucky crawls in the bed on top of the covers, leans down to pick up his book, and props himself against the headboard. Steve curls closer to him, cuddling in sweet like he hardly ever allows himself to do, and Bucky bends a little awkwardly to kiss the part of nape of Steve's neck exposed by the too-large collar of the pajama top.

"Always," Bucky says, stroking Steve's hair back before opening his book. "You hear that? Always."

**Author's Note:**

>  **Meg:** bucky has a dream his dream is that one day steve will give up and let him win the pajama fight  
>  **Meg:** the pajama fight is that a pj top sized to fit bucky is an adorably oversized night shirt on Steve  
>  **Meg:** so bucky doesn't see why he can't just wear pj bottoms and have steve in the pj top because bucky has needs  
>  **Meg:** red blooded man needs  
>  **Meg:** to see steve looking grumpy in an adorably oversized pajama top that belongs to bucky  
>  **Meg:** steve doesn't get this until post everything when bucky wanders in wearing one of steve's pj tops and steve walks his superhuman reflexes and reaction time straight into a wall


End file.
